Nearly two decades after the release of Counting Crows’ multiplatinum album August and Everything After, a striking roots-rock record for 1993 that still sounds fresh today, hits from that trend-bucking debut were still what got an OC Fair crowd the most excited Sunday night.
Fans at the sold-out Pacific Amphitheatre knew all the words and weren’t afraid to join in, from “Mr. Jones” and “Round Here” to “Omaha” and “Rain King.” And when frontman Adam Duritz – his dreads healthy as can be, bouncing freely atop his head – added lyrics or changed up songs, as he so often tends to do, it felt like a special treat, even if that meant you couldn’t sing along the whole time.
This hasn’t always been true at Crows shows. Over the past decade especially, extended versions of tunes – particularly those beloved radio hits, always toyed with the most – have come off more self-indulgent than crowd-pleasing. Duritz, sometimes moody and not nearly as easy to connect with as other attention-grabbing singers, often seemed to be in his own little sad world, belting out extra lyrics that made the songs even more heartbreaking than in their original form.
These days, however, he exudes confidence, his unique voice strong as ever. Duritz pulled out all the stops this time without overdoing it, hitting long, perfect notes while waxing dramatic and working hard to captivate the audience, even when they didn’t know the songs – a tough trick considering the 20-song set included a half-dozen lesser-known tunes from last year’s covers collection, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation).
Duritz, once again donning classic rock T-shirts (this time it was Bowie-circa-Ziggy to start, Warhol’s banana for the Velvet Underground later on), sat at the piano only once during the two-hour performance, for the concert mainstay “A Long December.” Yet it was still clear he was in his element and comfortable on stage – and not without a strong band to back him up.
Their well-rehearsed synchronicities were hard to ignore, making already rousing songs like “Miami” and “Hanginaround” all the more impressive for both less-intense fans and those who have heard those at scores of shows. This gig was the last of the tour, but the Crows were hardly sloppy or tired. Digging deep, they instead turned in a show of strength.
Co-founding members David Bryson (guitar) and Charlie Gillingham (accordion, keyboards) along with fellow talents Dan Vickrey (lead guitar since ’94), David Immerglück (guitar, banjo, mandolin since ’99), Jim Bogios (drums) and Millard Powers (bass) drove home the point in song after song that these guys simply work well together. Bogios and Powers are the newest members, but even they have been around for a decade or close to it, joining in ’02 and ’05, respectively. Playful, teasing banter between songs was amusing proof that they get along as friends, too, not just as musicians.
That same type of camaraderie was noticeable during the Wallflowers’ 12-song set as well.
Jakob Dylan, a little more lighthearted and personable than he has been in the past, didn’t indulge quite as many covers as Duritz & Co., who served up eight in all, including three in a row led by Grateful Dead and Joni Mitchell tunes. But amid the recognizable favorites were other artists’ songs: He opened with a Band-style take on the Holland/Dozier/Holland soul classic “Baby Don’t You Do It,” while the Box Tops’ “The Letter” later in the mix was a standout, Dylan’s gritty vocals not that far off from Alex Chilton’s original performance. He also tucked in “They’ve Trapped Us Boys,” a solo-disc cut scruffy enough to fit perfectly into a ‘Flowers arrangement.
“6th Avenue Heartache” was a little disappointing without Duritz on background vocals – why not when he’s on hand? – but “God Don’t Make Lonely Girls” more than made up for it, as did finishing forcefully with two of the group’s signature songs, “One Headlight” and “The Difference.”
The two bands haven’t toured together since 2003, yet though both of their leaders seem a little more outgoing this time around, not much else has changed. Despite two decades of experience, both groups still only have six studio albums apiece – but they’ve got enough staying power to generously fill up a fair show like this one.
Set lists: Counting Crows & the Wallflowers at Pacific Amphitheatre
Counting Crows: Mr. Jones / Untitled (Love Song) (The Romany Rye cover) / St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream / Hanging Tree / Hospital (Coby Brown cover) / Goodnight Elisabeth / Mercy (Tender Mercies cover) / Omaha / Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby / When I Dream of Michelangelo / Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover) / Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell cover) / Miami / Like Teenage Gravity (Kasey Anderson cover) / Round Here / Start Again (Teenage Fanclub cover) / A Long December / Return of the Grievous Angel (Gram Parsons cover) / Rain King // Encore: Hanginaround / Holiday in Spain
The Wallflowers: Baby Don’t You Do It (Marvin Gaye cover, Band style) / Misfits and Lovers / Three Marlenas / The Letter (The Box Tops cover) / I’ve Been Delivered / 6th Avenue Heartache / Closer to You / They’ve Trapped Us Boys (Jakob Dylan solo song) / Love Is a Country / God Don’t Make Lonely Girls / One Headlight / The Difference
Photos: Kelly A. Swift, for the Register
